In our last video, we gave you tips on how to tile a shower wall using 3x6 subway tile
in a curbless shower. We used an angle grinder with a diamond blade to scribe cut the first
row of tile to the contour of that shower pan. This creates a lot of dust. And so today,
we wanted to show you three different tools that you can use to cut down on that dust
and make your work environment much safer. The first that we’re going to go over is
the FEIN Turbo II X AC HEPA Vacuum. There are a few reasons why we’re going to start
using this when we cut tile with an angle grinder. Because this is a HEPA vacuum, it
captures contaminates down to 0.3 micron in size. And the AutoClean feature automatically
cleans the HEPA filter every few seconds. Now, the other cool thing is you can plug
the angle grinder into the Turbo II. The plug is right here, and you simply plug in the
grinder. What that means is when you turn on the angle grinder, this will automatically
turn on with it. To have the HEPA Vacuum turn on when the angle
grinder is in use, turn the on/off switch to this setting. The other thing to know is
that you can adjust the air flow going to the angle grinder right here. So it goes from
min to max. We’re just going to turn it up to max.
In order for the Turbo II to work properly, you have to set it up correctly. I’m going
to show you how to do that in a second. But first, the reason why we’re excited is there’s
now a new dust collection cover that works with the Turbo II and any angle grinder.
In order for the Turbo II to properly cut down on dust, there are two additional things
that you need to do. It comes with a special disposable bag for
all the debris. So we need to install that. There’s a handle both on the right and left
side of this. You just pull up on the handle and remove the motor unit. By the way, this
is where the HEPA filter’s located, right here.
So there is a vacuum socket—the black vacuum socket there. What you need to do is put that
bag—there’s a hole in the bag—it goes over the collar in that socket. So the hole
that I’m pointing to here, that goes over the black socket, and it’s really important
to do that the right way because what you’re going to do is use a twist tie to secure this
bag to the vacuum socket. So simply tighten a twist tie around the vacuum socket and gab.
Then you can put the vacuum container lid back in place. There’s a tab in the hose,
so you just line this up with the slot that’s in the vacuum. And then you slightly twist
it clockwise to lock it in place. The next step is for us to add the dust collection
cover to our angle grinder. The reason the dust collection cover is so important is without
it you can see there’s a lot of dust. But with it, that’s a totally different story.
In this example, we’re going to be using the FEIN WSG 7. It’s a 4 ½” angle grinder,
and we’re going to be adding this dust collection cover to it.
This cover has a connector, and there’s already a pre-set connector on it that fits
the WSG 7. That said, it comes with different connectors that you can use with a variety
of different grinders. These are the other connectors that come with the dust collection
cover, and they all go right here. You can swap them out, depending on which type of
grinder you’re using. These are different spacers that you need that go between the
grinder and the base flange. These spacers are all different heights, and you need to
choose the one that fits your grinder. We’re going to be using this one right here for
the FEIN WSG 7. And finally, this is the base flange that comes with the dust collector.
You need to use this after you insert the spacer.
This is what we need to do to put the dust collection cover on our angle grinder. First,
take off the threaded flange and the grinder’s base flange. If there’s a wheel guard on
the grinder, remove that. Make sure you have the right connector in place. There are two
screws on the connector: one here, and one here. Just loosen them by turning them counter-clockwise.
This connector will then connect to your angle grinder. Now, just tighten the two screws
on the connector. This is the height adjuster. We’re just
going to move this up to the lowest position, which I’ll explain later. I’m trying to
make the base of this as parallel with my angle grinder as possible. This connector
should be as tight as possible, and this should not be loose in relation to the grinder.
The cover needs to be tight because it touches the surface of the object that you’re cutting.
Loosen this nut, that allows you to pull up on the dust collector.
This next step is really important. You need to have the right spacer for your grinder.
And also, you need to use the base plate that comes with the dust collector.
Slide the spacer over the spindle and then face the base plate indented-side down over
the spacer. That allows you to install your diamond blade like so, and the diamond blade
fits over the base plate ring right here. Just make sure that the arrows on your diamond
blade face the correct direction. Then you can use the threaded flange. Press down on
this locking button, and tighten down the threaded flange. Slide the cover back in place,
and tighten down this nut. In this example, we know that the diamond
blade is installed correctly because it’s in line with this little notch in the cover.
That notch is also what you can use to line up the blade with what you’re cutting.
You have the ability to adjust the depth of cut by loosening this nut and moving the cover
up and down. the depth of cut scale for the 4 ½” angle grinder is labeled D115, and
it goes in millimeter increments. So for example: 5, 10, 15mm.
In this example, we need to connect the rubber hose connector to the dust collector. So we’re
just going to slide this rubber hose over the port on the dust collector. Then we’re
going to use this tool adaptor that comes with the FEIN Turbo II. We’re going to slide
this over our hose like so. And then we could connect this to the dust collector. But before
we do that, we’re going to put a clamp over top of everything. Then we’re going to install
this. Just tighten down this stainless steel hose band.
By the way, do all this assembling without the angle grinder plugged in. And also, manually
spin the blade to make sure it’s not hitting anything.
One of the things we really like about this HEPA Vac is that the hose is super long. So
if you wanted to have the HEPA Vac outside the room while you’re cutting tile, that’s
a possibility. We have the angle grinder plugged into the
HEPA Vac. We have the on/off switch set to the tool setting. And we’re setting this
to max airflow. When the HEPA Vac is plugged in, you’ll
see the lights turn on for the AutoClean functionality. The other thing that I’m going to do just
for safety is push down on the locks for the casters. That way the HEPA Vac is locked in
place and isn’t going to roll away. Now, here’s the deal. Even though we’re
using all this safety gear, we still highly recommend that you wear a Silica Dust respirator.
This is from Sundström. Hearing protection and eye protection. So make sure you wear
your safety gear. All right, let’s make some cuts in tile and see how this performs.
So again, when you turn the angle grinder on, that will trigger the HEPA Vac to turn
on as well. And as you can see here, it kind of is moving. That is the AutoClean functionality
working in the HEPA Vac. All right, this is the first cut that we’re
going to make in a standard 4x12 subway tile without the HEPA system—you see a lot of
dust. This is with all of our protective equipment installed. So no dust whatsoever. Let’s
do a frontal view with just the wheel guard on—again, very dusty. Now, this is with
our dust collection system. And you’ll see here it just takes me a little bit to get
the notch lined up with the line that I made on the subway tile. And there are a few, little
plumes of dust on the bottom, but they get sucked up real quick into the HEPA Vac.
So now we’re going to be making a cut into grout on a floor. So we’re just making a
cut here with just the wheel guard installed; no HEPA system installed. Lots of dust, and
it’s going right back into my face, which isn’t good. You can see here how much dust
is on the floor. Now, with HEPA Vac and the dust collection system put together, no dust
whatsoever. As you can see here, it’s nice and smooth for making a nice, long cut. And
just as a side note, it wasn’t that hard to keep this tile blade in line with the grout
joint because of the notch in the dust collection system. So there, as you see, not a lot of
dust whatsoever. As you saw, there’s a huge difference between
using this dust extraction system and not. Let us know what your thoughts are down in
the comments. We’ll also put links to these items down in the description. That way, you
can check them out for yourself. Thanks for watching today’s video, and we’ll
see you in the next one.